Northern Ireland’s Position on Assisted Dying Amid Broader UK Discussions

Members of Parliament are scheduled to vote on November 29 on a proposed piece of legislation that would grant terminally ill individuals in England and Wales the option to end their lives. While surveys indicate a degree of public backing for such a bill, and most Northern Ireland MPs intend to oppose it at Westminster, the topic of assisted dying has not yet become a political priority at Stormont. Numerous religious groups, disability advocacy organizations, and members of the medical community express concerns that an assisted dying law could be susceptible to misuse. Conversely, Jill Crawford, whose father Derek died from dementia in 2019, advocates for the initiation of discussions regarding assisted dying in Northern Ireland. Jill informed BBC News NI, “It’s a horrible thing to have to talk about but it’s a reality.” She added, “Northern Ireland is being left behind as normal. Somebody needs to just stand up and address it.” Crawford urged Northern Ireland Assembly members to “stop hiding and brushing things under the carpet in the hope somebody else will pick it up.” Jill believes that politicians ought to engage in a more comprehensive dialogue concerning assisted death. Recalling her father’s situation, she stated, “How do you say to someone that has been diagnosed with dementia, are you ready to die? “This has to be done beforehand, if it was me, it’s a choice I would make, definitely.” Jill indicated that her father would not have wished for his final condition. She described, “He changed slowly from this vibrant, big man full of fun to in his last days lying like a corpse.” She further commented, “I wouldn’t want my family to have to look after me the way we did with dad, not because we didn’t want to do it but because it took everything from him.” Tim Cairns, representing Christian Action Research and Education (CARE), opposes any assisted dying legislation across the UK. He conveyed to BBC News NI, “We need to make a choice – do we want to have an economic way forward or a way forward that increases and prolongs life?” Cairns added, “In every healthcare choice we make, we should try and do the thing that prolongs life – that’s better palliative care.” Mr Cairns voiced apprehension that the eligibility requirements for assisted dying laws could expand over time. He elaborated, “When we look at the international experience in Canada, the Netherlands and Belgium, wherever it’s been legislated for, the qualification for the procedure widens from very narrowly defined terminal illness to mental illness and disabilities.” He concluded, “It comes down to this, do we value life or do we not?” Gavin Walker, who chairs the campaign group My Death, My Decision, aims to introduce an assisted dying bill at Stormont. In August, his group commissioned a survey indicating that 67% of individuals in Northern Ireland support an assisted dying law to some extent. Walker commented, “Up to this point I think people have just been trying to ignore the fact that it’s happening everywhere else and not happening in Northern Ireland.” Mr Walker emphasized the necessity of discussions to guarantee that any proposed bill aligns with the desires of the Northern Ireland populace. He further stated, “There are enough mechanisms… for MLAs to really start looking at this properly.” Michaela Hollywood, a Northern Ireland resident, lives with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic and degenerative condition that causes muscle weakness and affects movement. She uses a wheelchair full-time, cannot sit up independently, and has paralyzed breathing muscles. Ms Hollywood expressed her opposition to the bill currently before Westminster. She characterized the bill as an “absolutely mammoth change” that would proceed “without the proper scrutiny and the proper time to have a proper discourse about it.” She asserted, “The public really do not grasp how wide ranging this is.” Ms Hollywood also stated that the “protections for disabled people just are not enough.” She further remarked, “I have a lot of friends in Canada and seeing what they’re going through, it just makes me worried that we’re doing this the wrong way.” Hollywood argued, “What we need to be focussing on first is proper care, resourcing the NHS appropriately, and then we can have the discussion about what the right way is to provide choice, because there’s no choice without care, and at the minute we’re trying to do choice without care.” She proposed that the four UK nations should collaborate on this issue and establish a user-led commission. The majority of Members of Parliament from Northern Ireland’s political factions intend to vote against the Westminster bill during its second reading on Friday. This group comprises Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance), Robin Swann (UUP), Jim Allister (TUV), Alex Easton (Independent), and the five DUP MPs. SDLP MPs Claire Hanna and Colum Eastwood are still evaluating the bill. The Alliance Party, SDLP, and UUP have stated that assisted dying is a matter of conscience for their members. The DUP and TUV have declared their parties’ opposition to assisted dying. Sinn Féin did not provide a response to multiple requests for comment. Earlier this year, a Sinn Féin spokesperson indicated, “In principle we support legislating for assisted dying in certain circumstances and with robust safeguards, but the legislation should only be progressed once the appropriate services and supports are available.” Gerry Carroll, a People Before Profit MLA, informed BBC News NI that he desires the Northern Ireland health minister to “lead the conversation” and propose a bill in the Assembly. Assisted dying is a devolved issue in Northern Ireland, meaning that elected politicians are responsible for deciding whether to alter the law. The Suicide Act 1961 currently prohibits encouraging or assisting a suicide in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Labour backbench MP Kim Leadbeater is seeking to amend this legislation for England and Wales. In the Republic of Ireland, a bill is anticipated to be presented in the upcoming Dáil (Irish parliament), following a vote by TDs to acknowledge the health committee’s report, which advocated for the government to legalize assisted dying under specific conditions. A Stage 1 vote on Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur’s proposed bill for Scotland is scheduled for approximately summer time. Concurrently, lawmakers in Jersey and the Isle of Man have already endorsed proposals to implement assisted dying, and the legislative process is currently in progress. The complete report on assisted dying is available for viewing on BBC Sunday Politics via the BBC iPlayer. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.